What does research mean to me?

As we move further into the topic of research and our own position as scholars, I find myself reflecting that research has come a long way from the very dry, philosophical, "ivory tower" approach of so many years ago. Already, in exploring different cultures of inquiry in our first assignment, we have been using very creative tools and visuals to represent our own understanding of what different cultures of inquiry mean to each of us. From planes to plumbing, circles and lines to bubbles and cartoon characters, I have learned more than I imagined about the epistemological assumptions, relationships of the researcher to subject and concerns or issues addressed by these research traditions.

Now I am left to wonder, what does research mean to me? Given my background in health care, one of the overarching themes that comes to mind when I think of research, is ethics. This is clearly a concept that I want to explore further. It is central to my preoccupations and as researchers, we have a duty to ensure that our subjects are protected from harm. Primum non nocere, "above all do no harm" is attributed to an English physician, Thomas Sydenham, in 1860. Originally and still, it stands as a guide to the ethical practice of medicine and pharmacological research and to me holds a much broader reach indeed.

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